Ayurvedic New Year Resolutions That Will Last

The year went by and yet again we are surprised how fast time flies! In the effort to catch up with life’s pace, we compromise on a lot of aspects of our health. By the time the first month of the New Year goes by, the year’s resolutions are already a thing of the past. The bottom line is, we need to set goals that are realistic and achievable. The good news is Ayurveda is full of natural health tips that can totally change your life for good.

The formula for a lasting New Year resolution

The problem begins when we see a resolution as something that ties us up or stops us from doing a thing that we otherwise enjoy doing. To extract the literal meaning of the word “resolve”, we need to get to the root of the word and the true meaning of the word is “to loosen”, “untie” or “release”. Through this lens, a resolution is something that should help you liberate your heartfelt desire free into the world. There needs to be a willingness to achieve your desire rather than sheer willpower. The idea is to find your true purpose in life and wholeheartedly work towards achieving it.

Easy Tips to Have a Fruitful Year and a Life Ahead Through Ayurveda

1) Realize the true purpose that makes you “surrender”.

Source: www.yogajournal.com

Most of the days in life, we are merely running behind temporary and materialistic things that fade away with time. The energy to pursue them is at the highest level at the very start. When you have the zeal and enthusiasm to stick to a cause till the end, that’s when you’ve really found your purpose. The best way to assess your inner self to realize your goal is to meditate regularly. The word “meditation” as fancy as it may sound is the practice of constantly focusing upon your inner self to unite the body with the senses. The practice of meditation will bring stability, well-being and success in every endeavor.

2) Vow to listen to your body.

Your body is more intelligent than you thought. It talks to us, signals us and naturally heals us. May be we aren’t wise enough to listen when it starts talking to us. When you’ve overeaten it signals you to not eat the next meal before the previous meal is completely digested. When your body needs fluids, it signals you to drink water by inducing thirst. When you suffer from constipation, your body is telling you to drink more fluids and eat fiber-rich diet. The day we patiently listen to our body’s needs, we add more life to our years and more years to our life!

3) Understand the seasonal cycles and their relationship with the body.

The core principle of Ayurveda is that the human body shares an intimate relationship with the universe. Just like the universe is made up of “Panchamahabhoota”, the foundation of the human body too is soundly laid upon the five elements. Changes in the seasons cause bodily changes and it is important that we are aware of them. Ayurvedic scriptures offer an in-depth explanation of the seasonal changes and their impact on the body; how the diet and activity regimen needs to gradually change as the seasons change and what purification therapies can be performed to prevent seasonal ailments.

4) Sleep to your heart’s content.

Source: www.chopra.com

Unless you’re a yogi, your body cannot tolerate stressful conditions that too with less sleep. It is important to improve the quality of sleep. The golden rule is to sleep during the Kapha time which ends at 10 PM. So ideally, it is important to go to bed before 10 PM so your sleep takes on that deeply restful quality. The activities that induce good sleep include warm oil feet massage, listening to relaxing instrumental music and meditating sitting over the bed. The other important aspect is to avoid using electronic gadgets before bedtime. A good night’s sleep is the first step to waking up cheery and contended.

5) Fight stress and celebrate success when it comes after a lot of hard work.

Source: www.ayurveda.org

Making positive changes in your life can never be an easy accomplishment. Staying motivated all the time can get extremely difficult especially during times of crisis. Ayurveda offers us hope in every regard. Stressful times can be fought courageously by self-analysis. Sometimes the causes of stress aren’t as mighty as they might seem. Reanalyzing the problems in this case helps. The regular practice of deep breathing, yoga and abhyanga brings in a lot of changes in our body and mind. Deep breathing helps calm tired nerves and induces mental stability, thereby helping us think with clarity and calmness.

Success that comes after all these struggles ought to be celebrated. By celebrating our successes, we are acknowledging our hard work and rewarding our progress.

Years come and go! The challenge is to keep up with our resolutions no matter what. Ayurveda considers that life is rested upon three pillars namely food, sleep and proper action. Food that should be taken in a timely manner and sleep that is sufficient and timely and then the actions that follow would be life-supporting, evolutionary and progressive. You’ll be surprised to see how your mind works when it is well-fed and well-rested. That way you can take charge of your own life!

Ayurvedafinder wishes its readers a “Happy and A Prosperous New Year”.

Vishakha is an Ayurvedic practitioner, yoga counselor and a passionate traveler. She lays emphasis on living a healthy life by nourishing the body and mind with wholesome and natural food, meditation and yogic techniques. An Indian at heart, she aims at propagating the goodness of the Indian culture across the seven seas and stimulating thoughts by creating a hunger for knowledge.